Top 5 UX Design Trends For Your Projects in 2022

So, you probably came here expecting to find all about the bells and whistles of the hottest features and trends in User Experience design, right?

Cool! You’ll find that kind of UX Design info here. But before we rush into it, let’s take a second to consider…

Why should you care about staying on top of the UX Design latest trends? And how can you do it?

If you want to thrive in this profession, you need to be aware of how your neighbour is doing. Say that again?

Yes. You read that correctly.

But hey, hold on. Don’t start going through your neighbor's garbage, or stalking them through their windows, or via social media. Please don’t.

Instead, be fully aware of this:

If you want to be efficient at designing solutions for real people and the situations and challenges they face on everyday bases, you have to keep your eyes open to what's going on around you and how that is affecting society.

Be all eyes and all ears for changes in politics, health issues, communication and, of course, technology. That’s the key to keeping your design relevant and useful for the average user (aka: your neighbour).

Nobody goes a long way in the UX Design industry by designing something that looks pretty but is useless. We’ll leave that to the fork that has a chain for a handle.

Simply put, be aware of the times and translate them into your design. This is key to staying ahead of the game.

On this note, here you have five examples on how society’s changes are influencing UX Design and the trends for 2022. Enjoy... you might even be a little surprised!

1. Web 3.0 and the Metaverse

Web 3.0 is still a little hard to define, as it’s now in its early phases, but we do know that it will have a focus on using AI and blockchain technologies to process information with human-like ability.

This means it will no longer be built by governments and public institutions, but by tech companies, so it’ll become more shared, secured and transparent. Wow! Mind blowing, right?

And what is this Metaverse about? How will it affect UX Design?

As a result of soooo much isolation, virtual reality has became embraced and befriended – we can see that happening. But now think of a network of 3D worlds, or, as Facebook describes it, “a set of virtual spaces where you can create and explore with other people who aren’t in the same physical space as you.” This sounds something like extended reality on steroids.

These technologies will make devices more connected than ever, and this is something that UX designers will have to keep in mind when designing platforms that can be literally accessed from everywhere. 3D graphics will be more widely used by designers in areas like e-commerce sites, gaming, museums and historical institutions, and medical and social service apps and tools.

In other words, we’ll need to get these puppies’ UX Design ready for everybody to be able to jump in and be comfortable.

2. Eco-conscious

It’s no secret that we are leaning towards green choices and eco-solutions more than ever when shopping for all kinds of utilities. Well, guess what? This is of course being represented in UX Design, thus starting to see how this “cardboard, recyclable look” becomes trendy for app interfaces.

3. Inclusiveness

When talking about inclusiveness in tech, you might immediately think of accessibility. Concepts like ADA and markup validation might come racing through your mind. Well, inclusive UX Design implies more than just those concepts. An inclusive design will also be sure to acknowledge and include the fact that people are diverse. Everybody wants to feel represented no matter their age, gender, socio-cultural background, language or disabilities, etc. As an example of this, you should be aware of producing a set of emojis that make everybody feel considered.

4. Brutalism

We are still not too sure about whether to love or to hate this one. Does it look like a little kid who has just learned how to use Paint? A little bit. Did Spotify use it for last year’s “Wrapped”? You bet they did!

Brutalism embraces flat design, strong outlines, contrasting colours, bold typography and real-life photography. It definitely catches your eye (which may not always be a positive thing).

5. Retro revolution

Pandemic times have hit us with an immense global turbulence that is forcing everyone and their neighbours to fasten their seatbelts and fly into the unknown.

In simple terms, the world has become a hard place to live in. Everyone and their aunts are longing for easier, good old times when we didn’t need to wear masks or isolate ourselves.

As a result of this, friendly, nice designs associated with people’s childhoods are making a triumphal comeback, such as Tamagotchi, which celebrates its 25th anniversary. Check out the design. Could it get more 90’s?

Bonus track

Get your apps ready for larger screens (again!) Yes. It looks like we are back at getting comfortable at home and we are not so much on the go anymore. So, Google is telling you to prepare your apps for large screens, especially desktops.

So far, we have been mostly focused on designing for mobile phones when thinking about interfaces. But it looks like as one of the top UX trends for 2022, we’ll be having to get a little friendlier with larger screens such as foldable phones and desktops.

What do you think about these trends? We’d love to know!